Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
Linguistics:
The Science of Human Language
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
Supplementary Readings
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
The following readings have been posted to the Moodle
course site:
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
I
Contemporary Linguistics: Chapter 1 (pp. 1-14)
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
I
Language Instinct: Chapter 1 (pp. 1-11)
Summary
Some Opening Questions
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
What is linguistics?
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Language as a Biological
Mystery
The Fundamental Question
The Importance of Rules
The Fundamental Question,
Rephrased
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
Some Opening Questions
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
What is linguistics?
I
The study of language (duh!)
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Language as a Biological
Mystery
The Fundamental Question
The Importance of Rules
The Fundamental Question,
Rephrased
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
Some Opening Questions
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
What is linguistics?
I
The study of language (duh!)
I
The scientific study of human language.
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Language as a Biological
Mystery
The Fundamental Question
The Importance of Rules
The Fundamental Question,
Rephrased
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
Some Opening Questions
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
What is linguistics?
I
The study of language (duh!)
I
The scientific study of human language.
OK, but why study human language?
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Language as a Biological
Mystery
The Fundamental Question
The Importance of Rules
The Fundamental Question,
Rephrased
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
Some Opening Questions
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
What is linguistics?
I
The study of language (duh!)
I
The scientific study of human language.
OK, but why study human language?
I
Because our ability to learn and use human language
constitutes a profound biological mystery
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Language as a Biological
Mystery
The Fundamental Question
The Importance of Rules
The Fundamental Question,
Rephrased
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
Language as a Biological Mystery
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
Like all core mental faculties, the miraculous nature of
language is obscured by how effortless it seems to us.
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Language as a Biological
Mystery
The Fundamental Question
The Importance of Rules
The Fundamental Question,
Rephrased
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
Language as a Biological Mystery
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
Like all core mental faculties, the miraculous nature of
language is obscured by how effortless it seems to us.
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Language as a Biological
Mystery
The Fundamental Question
I
When you see a book, you ‘just see it’.
I
You’re not aware of all the incredible neurological
computation that goes on.
The Importance of Rules
The Fundamental Question,
Rephrased
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
Language as a Biological Mystery
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
Like all core mental faculties, the miraculous nature of
language is obscured by how effortless it seems to us.
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Language as a Biological
Mystery
The Fundamental Question
I
When you see a book, you ‘just see it’.
I
I
You’re not aware of all the incredible neurological
computation that goes on.
When you speak/understand, you ‘just do it’
I
You’re not aware of all the incredible neurological
computation that goes on.
The Importance of Rules
The Fundamental Question,
Rephrased
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
An Illustration
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Close your eyes, and listen to this sentence:
Language as a Biological
Mystery
The Fundamental Question
The Importance of Rules
The Fundamental Question,
Rephrased
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
An Illustration
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Close your eyes, and listen to this sentence:
Language as a Biological
Mystery
The Fundamental Question
The Importance of Rules
I
Aardvarks from Eastern South Africa have a special,
triangular pocket in their abdomens that they use to
store rocks and sometimes small rodents.
The Fundamental Question,
Rephrased
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
An Illustration
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
What Happened?
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Language as a Biological
Mystery
The Fundamental Question
The Importance of Rules
The Fundamental Question,
Rephrased
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
An Illustration
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
What Happened?
I
I put a thought into your head.
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Language as a Biological
Mystery
The Fundamental Question
The Importance of Rules
The Fundamental Question,
Rephrased
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
An Illustration
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
What Happened?
I
I put a thought into your head.
I
But not with ‘magic’ or telepathy; I did it by making
sounds with my mouth
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Language as a Biological
Mystery
The Fundamental Question
The Importance of Rules
The Fundamental Question,
Rephrased
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
An Illustration
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
What Happened?
I
I put a thought into your head.
I
But not with ‘magic’ or telepathy; I did it by making
sounds with my mouth
Moreover:
I
I
Your thinking this thought was automatic
I
(like a reflex, you couldn’t help it)
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Language as a Biological
Mystery
The Fundamental Question
The Importance of Rules
The Fundamental Question,
Rephrased
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
An Illustration
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
What Happened?
I
I put a thought into your head.
I
But not with ‘magic’ or telepathy; I did it by making
sounds with my mouth
Moreover:
I
I
Your thinking this thought was automatic
I
The thought was incredibly specific
I
I
(like a reflex, you couldn’t help it)
(wasn’t just about ‘aardvarks’ in general)
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Language as a Biological
Mystery
The Fundamental Question
The Importance of Rules
The Fundamental Question,
Rephrased
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
An Illustration
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
What Happened?
I
I put a thought into your head.
I
But not with ‘magic’ or telepathy; I did it by making
sounds with my mouth
Moreover:
I
I
Your thinking this thought was automatic
I
The thought was incredibly specific
I
I
I
(like a reflex, you couldn’t help it)
(wasn’t just about ‘aardvarks’ in general)
The thought was one you’d never thought before
I
(I put a new ‘piece of information’ into your head)
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Language as a Biological
Mystery
The Fundamental Question
The Importance of Rules
The Fundamental Question,
Rephrased
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
The Uniqueness of Human Language
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
In this way, human language is unlike anything else in the
natural world.
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Language as a Biological
Mystery
The Fundamental Question
The Importance of Rules
It’s fundamentally unlike other animal communication
systems (LING 101)
I
In terms of the kind of information it can convey
I
In terms of the kind of combinatoric system it is
The Fundamental Question,
Rephrased
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
The Fundamental Question
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Language as a Biological
Mystery
How do we do all of this?
The Fundamental Question
The Importance of Rules
The Fundamental Question,
Rephrased
I
What kinds of computations are going on in our brains
that make all of this happen?
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
The Fundamental Question:
How Do We Do It?
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
One Obviously Wrong Answer:
Maybe, with our big brains, we just memorize a ton of
expressions (like thousands)?
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Language as a Biological
Mystery
The Fundamental Question
The Importance of Rules
The Fundamental Question,
Rephrased
I
After all, memorizing is a big part of learning a language
I
When we acquired (learned) English, we had to just
memorize:
I “dog” = canis familiaris
I “kick the bucket” = die
I ?? “Pencils taste woody” = Pencils taste woody ??
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
The Fundamental Question:
How Do We Do It?
Why Is This ‘Obviously Wrong’?
I
Although memorizing single expressions is a big part of
language learning, it’s not the only part...
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Language as a Biological
Mystery
The Fundamental Question
The Importance of Rules
The Fundamental Question,
Rephrased
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
The Fundamental Question:
How Do We Do It?
Why Is This ‘Obviously Wrong’?
I
Although memorizing single expressions is a big part of
language learning, it’s not the only part...
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Language as a Biological
Mystery
The Fundamental Question
The Importance of Rules
I
... Because you can understand complex expressions that
you’ve never heard before:
I
Aardvarks from Eastern South Africa have a special,
triangular pocket in their abdomens that they use to
store rocks and sometimes small rodents.
The Fundamental Question,
Rephrased
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
The Fundamental Question:
How Do We Do It?
Why Is This ‘Obviously Wrong’?
I
Although memorizing single expressions is a big part of
language learning, it’s not the only part...
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Language as a Biological
Mystery
The Fundamental Question
The Importance of Rules
I
... Because you can understand complex expressions that
you’ve never heard before:
I
Aardvarks from Eastern South Africa have a special,
triangular pocket in their abdomens that they use to
store rocks and sometimes small rodents.
The Fundamental Question,
Rephrased
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
... so learning a language is more than just memorizing
expressions.
The Fundamental Question:
How Do We Do It?
Why Is This ‘Obviously Wrong’?
I
Although memorizing single expressions is a big part of
language learning, it’s not the only part...
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Language as a Biological
Mystery
The Fundamental Question
The Importance of Rules
I
... Because you can understand complex expressions that
you’ve never heard before:
I
Aardvarks from Eastern South Africa have a special,
triangular pocket in their abdomens that they use to
store rocks and sometimes small rodents.
The Fundamental Question,
Rephrased
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
... so learning a language is more than just memorizing
expressions.
... so what else is there?...
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
The Fundamental Question:
How Do We Do It?
Supplementary
Readings
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
A Thought Experiment:
I
Language as a Biological
Mystery
Suppose I taught you the following words of Kikuyu:
“kĩhĩĩ” = the boy
“mũitũ” = the girl
“nĩkĩaonire” = saw
The Fundamental Question
The Importance of Rules
The Fundamental Question,
Rephrased
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
The Fundamental Question:
How Do We Do It?
Supplementary
Readings
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
A Thought Experiment:
I
Suppose I taught you the following words of Kikuyu:
“kĩhĩĩ” = the boy
I
Language as a Biological
Mystery
“mũitũ” = the girl
“nĩkĩaonire” = saw
Would you be able to translate ‘The boy saw the girl’
into Kikuyu?
The Fundamental Question
The Importance of Rules
The Fundamental Question,
Rephrased
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
The Fundamental Question:
How Do We Do It?
Supplementary
Readings
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
A Thought Experiment:
I
Language as a Biological
Mystery
Suppose I taught you the following words of Kikuyu:
“kĩhĩĩ” = the boy
“mũitũ” = the girl
“nĩkĩaonire” = saw
I
Would you be able to translate ‘The boy saw the girl’
into Kikuyu?
I
No, because I haven’t told you the rules for
combining the words
The Fundamental Question
The Importance of Rules
The Fundamental Question,
Rephrased
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
The Fundamental Question:
How Do We Do It?
A Fundamental Insight:
When you know a language, what you know is:
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Language as a Biological
Mystery
The Fundamental Question
The Importance of Rules
The Fundamental Question,
Rephrased
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
The Fundamental Question:
How Do We Do It?
A Fundamental Insight:
When you know a language, what you know is:
I
A memorized set of individual, basic expressions
(words, idioms)
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Language as a Biological
Mystery
The Fundamental Question
The Importance of Rules
The Fundamental Question,
Rephrased
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
The Fundamental Question:
How Do We Do It?
A Fundamental Insight:
When you know a language, what you know is:
I
I
A memorized set of individual, basic expressions
(words, idioms)
A set of rules, for combining those basic expressions
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Language as a Biological
Mystery
The Fundamental Question
The Importance of Rules
The Fundamental Question,
Rephrased
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
The Fundamental Question:
How Do We Do It?
A Fundamental Insight:
When you know a language, what you know is:
I
I
A memorized set of individual, basic expressions
(words, idioms)
A set of rules, for combining those basic expressions
The Importance of Rules (LING 101)
I
The rules are what give human language its unique
expressive power.
I
The rules are what sets human language apart from
other animal communication systems.
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Language as a Biological
Mystery
The Fundamental Question
The Importance of Rules
The Fundamental Question,
Rephrased
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
The Fundamental Question, Rephrased
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
How do we do all of this?
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Language as a Biological
Mystery
The Fundamental Question
The Importance of Rules
I
What is the system of rules and expressions that
underlies our ability to use a human language?
The Fundamental Question,
Rephrased
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
The Fundamental Question, Rephrased
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
How do we do all of this?
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Language as a Biological
Mystery
The Fundamental Question
The Importance of Rules
I
What is the system of rules and expressions that
underlies our ability to use a human language?
But, how do we answer this question?...
The Fundamental Question,
Rephrased
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
Towards an Answer
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Here’s one, totally wrong line of thought:
I
If you wanna know the rules for rugby, just ask
someone who knows how to play to explain them!
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
The Problem of
Subconscious Knowledge
Answering the Question
Through Science
An Illustrative Example
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
Towards an Answer
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Here’s one, totally wrong line of thought:
I
I
If you wanna know the rules for rugby, just ask
someone who knows how to play to explain them!
So, if you wanna know the rules of some language,
just ask someone who speaks the language to
explain them!
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
The Problem of
Subconscious Knowledge
Answering the Question
Through Science
An Illustrative Example
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
Towards an Answer
The Problem of Tacit Knowledge
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
Why This is Totally, Obviously Wrong:
Our knowledge of the rules of our language is
subconscious (tacit)
I
Speakers aren’t conscious of the rules of their language...
I
All the computation takes place subconsciously...
I
And so, speakers can’t just introspect and tell you what
the rules are...
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
The Problem of
Subconscious Knowledge
Answering the Question
Through Science
An Illustrative Example
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
Answering the Question Through Science
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
The Problem of Tacit Knowledge:
Speakers can’t just tell us the rules of their language.
So, how do we answer our fundamental question:
I
What is the system of rules and expressions that
underlies out ability to speak and understand a
human language?
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
The Problem of
Subconscious Knowledge
Answering the Question
Through Science
An Illustrative Example
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
Answering the Question Through Science
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
The Solution to the Problem:
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
We have to do science! (Hypothesis & Test)
We have to:
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
I
I
Make a hypothesis (dream up a possible answer)
Test whether the hypothesis is correct:
The Problem of
Subconscious Knowledge
Answering the Question
Through Science
An Illustrative Example
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
Answering the Question Through Science
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
The Solution to the Problem:
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
We have to do science! (Hypothesis & Test)
We have to:
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
I
I
Make a hypothesis (dream up a possible answer)
Test whether the hypothesis is correct:
I
I
Determine the predictions of the hypothesis.
Check whether those predictions are true.
The Problem of
Subconscious Knowledge
Answering the Question
Through Science
An Illustrative Example
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
Answering the Question Through Science
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
The Solution to the Problem:
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
We have to do science! (Hypothesis & Test)
We have to:
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
I
I
Make a hypothesis (dream up a possible answer)
Test whether the hypothesis is correct:
I
I
Determine the predictions of the hypothesis.
Check whether those predictions are true.
I
I
If they are not, the hypothesis must be wrong.
If they are true, the hypothesis might be right.
The Problem of
Subconscious Knowledge
Answering the Question
Through Science
An Illustrative Example
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
An Illustrative Example
Framing a Hypothesis
Let’s write a rule that will make (‘generate’) the following
English sentences:
I
Dave danced.
I
Mary sang.
I
Bill swam.
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
The Problem of
Subconscious Knowledge
Answering the Question
Through Science
An Illustrative Example
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
An Illustrative Example
Framing a Hypothesis
Let’s write a rule that will make (‘generate’) the following
English sentences:
I
Dave danced.
I
Mary sang.
I
Bill swam.
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
The Problem of
Subconscious Knowledge
Answering the Question
Through Science
An Illustrative Example
The Rule:
To form an English sentence, combine a name (Bill, Mary,
Dave) with an ‘action word’ (danced, swam, sang).
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
An Illustrative Example
Framing a Hypothesis
Let’s write a rule that will make (‘generate’) the following
English sentences:
I
Dave danced.
I
Mary sang.
I
Bill swam.
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
The Problem of
Subconscious Knowledge
Answering the Question
Through Science
An Illustrative Example
The Rule:
To form an English sentence, combine a name (Bill, Mary,
Dave) with an ‘action word’ (danced, swam, sang).
... This rule is our hypothesis.
... Now, let’s test it!
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
An Illustrative Example
Testing the Hypothesis
The Rule:
To form an English sentence, combine a name (Bill, Mary,
Dave) with an ‘action word’ (danced, swam, sang).
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
The Problem of
Subconscious Knowledge
Answering the Question
Through Science
An Illustrative Example
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
An Illustrative Example
Testing the Hypothesis
The Rule:
To form an English sentence, combine a name (Bill, Mary,
Dave) with an ‘action word’ (danced, swam, sang).
The Predictions:
I
True Prediction: The following are all English
sentences:
I
Dave danced. Mary sang. Bill swam.
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
The Problem of
Subconscious Knowledge
Answering the Question
Through Science
An Illustrative Example
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
An Illustrative Example
Testing the Hypothesis
The Rule:
To form an English sentence, combine a name (Bill, Mary,
Dave) with an ‘action word’ (danced, swam, sang).
The Predictions:
I
True Prediction: The following are all English
sentences:
I
I
Dave danced. Mary sang. Bill swam.
False Prediction: The following are also English
sentences:
I
*Danced Dave. *Sang Mary. *Swam Bill.
(Notation: ‘*’ = Not a possible sentence)
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
The Problem of
Subconscious Knowledge
Answering the Question
Through Science
An Illustrative Example
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
An Illustrative Example
Testing the Hypothesis
The Rule:
To form an English sentence, combine a name (Bill, Mary,
Dave) with an ‘action word’ (danced, swam, sang).
The Predictions:
I
True Prediction: The following are all English
sentences:
I
I
Dave danced. Mary sang. Bill swam.
False Prediction: The following are also English
sentences:
I
*Danced Dave. *Sang Mary. *Swam Bill.
(Notation: ‘*’ = Not a possible sentence)
Conclusion:
The rule above, as stated, is not actually a rule of English grammar.
We need a new hypothesis, one that does not make those false predictions.
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
The Problem of
Subconscious Knowledge
Answering the Question
Through Science
An Illustrative Example
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
An Illustrative Example
Revising the Hypothesis
New Rule:
To form an English sentence, combine a name with an ‘action
word’, in that order.
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
The Problem of
Subconscious Knowledge
Answering the Question
Through Science
An Illustrative Example
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
An Illustrative Example
Revising the Hypothesis
New Rule:
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
To form an English sentence, combine a name with an ‘action
word’, in that order.
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
The Predictions:
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
I
True Prediction: These are all English sentences:
I
Dave danced. Mary sang. Bill swam.
The Problem of
Subconscious Knowledge
Answering the Question
Through Science
An Illustrative Example
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
An Illustrative Example
Revising the Hypothesis
New Rule:
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
To form an English sentence, combine a name with an ‘action
word’, in that order.
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
The Predictions:
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
I
True Prediction: These are all English sentences:
I
I
Dave danced. Mary sang. Bill swam.
True Prediction: These are not English sentences:
I
*Danced Dave. *Sang Mary. *Swam Bill.
The Problem of
Subconscious Knowledge
Answering the Question
Through Science
An Illustrative Example
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
An Illustrative Example
Revising the Hypothesis
New Rule:
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
To form an English sentence, combine a name with an ‘action
word’, in that order.
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
The Predictions:
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
I
True Prediction: These are all English sentences:
I
I
True Prediction: These are not English sentences:
I
I
Dave danced. Mary sang. Bill swam.
*Danced Dave. *Sang Mary. *Swam Bill.
False Prediction: These aren’t English sentences:
I
Dave saw Mary, Mary likes Bill, Bill hit Dave
The Problem of
Subconscious Knowledge
Answering the Question
Through Science
An Illustrative Example
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
An Illustrative Example
Revising the Hypothesis
New Rule:
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
To form an English sentence, combine a name with an ‘action
word’, in that order.
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
The Predictions:
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
I
True Prediction: These are all English sentences:
I
I
True Prediction: These are not English sentences:
I
I
Dave danced. Mary sang. Bill swam.
*Danced Dave. *Sang Mary. *Swam Bill.
False Prediction: These aren’t English sentences:
I
Dave saw Mary, Mary likes Bill, Bill hit Dave
Conclusion:
The rule above, as stated, is not the only rule of English grammar.
We need more rules, that will also ‘generate’ sentences like ‘Dave saw Mary’.
The Problem of
Subconscious Knowledge
Answering the Question
Through Science
An Illustrative Example
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
Language As It Is,
Not As It ‘Should Be’
As scientists, linguists are interested in the real world
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
Language As It Is,
Not As It ‘Should Be’
As scientists, linguists are interested in the real world
I
I
Thus, linguists are interested in the rules speakers
actually do follow...
They aren’t interested in the rules that (some people
think) speakers should follow...
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
Language As It Is,
Not As It ‘Should Be’
As scientists, linguists are interested in the real world
I
I
Thus, linguists are interested in the rules speakers
actually do follow...
They aren’t interested in the rules that (some people
think) speakers should follow...
Vocabulary:
I
‘grammatical’ = used by fluent speakers of the
language in real, every-day conversation
I
(People really do talk that way.)
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
Language As It Is,
Not As It ‘Should Be’
As scientists, linguists are interested in the real world
I
I
Thus, linguists are interested in the rules speakers
actually do follow...
They aren’t interested in the rules that (some people
think) speakers should follow...
Vocabulary:
I
‘grammatical’ = used by fluent speakers of the
language in real, every-day conversation
I
I
(People really do talk that way.)
‘ungrammatical’ = never used by fluent speakers in
real, every-day conversation
I
(People don’t really actually talk that way.)
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
Language As It Is,
Not As It ‘Should Be’
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Thus, all these are ‘grammatical’ English structures
(even though ‘style manuals’ say not to use them):
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
Language As It Is,
Not As It ‘Should Be’
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Thus, all these are ‘grammatical’ English structures
(even though ‘style manuals’ say not to use them):
I
Stranding Prepositions: (Who did you talk with?)
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
Language As It Is,
Not As It ‘Should Be’
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Thus, all these are ‘grammatical’ English structures
(even though ‘style manuals’ say not to use them):
I
Stranding Prepositions: (Who did you talk with?)
I
Splitting Infinitives: (To boldly go ... )
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
Language As It Is,
Not As It ‘Should Be’
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Thus, all these are ‘grammatical’ English structures
(even though ‘style manuals’ say not to use them):
I
Stranding Prepositions: (Who did you talk with?)
I
Splitting Infinitives: (To boldly go ... )
I
Passive Voice: (Dave was hit by a car.)
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
Language As It Is,
Not As It ‘Should Be’
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Thus, all these are ‘grammatical’ English structures
(even though ‘style manuals’ say not to use them):
I
Stranding Prepositions: (Who did you talk with?)
I
Splitting Infinitives: (To boldly go ... )
I
Passive Voice: (Dave was hit by a car.)
I
Double Negatives: (I didn’t see nothing.)
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
Language As It Is,
Not As It ‘Should Be’
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Thus, all these are ‘grammatical’ English structures
(even though ‘style manuals’ say not to use them):
I
Stranding Prepositions: (Who did you talk with?)
I
Splitting Infinitives: (To boldly go ... )
I
Passive Voice: (Dave was hit by a car.)
I
Double Negatives: (I didn’t see nothing.)
I
Adjectives as Adverbs: (I dance good.)
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
Language As It Is,
Not As It ‘Should Be’
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Thus, all the following are ‘ungrammatical’ English
structures (even though some ‘style manuals’ say you
should use them):
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
Language As It Is,
Not As It ‘Should Be’
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Thus, all the following are ‘ungrammatical’ English
structures (even though some ‘style manuals’ say you
should use them):
I
Not-Stranding Prepositions:
(* With whom did you talk?)
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
Language As It Is,
Not As It ‘Should Be’
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Thus, all the following are ‘ungrammatical’ English
structures (even though some ‘style manuals’ say you
should use them):
I
I
Not-Stranding Prepositions:
(* With whom did you talk?)
Not-Splitting Infinitives:
(* Boldly to go where no one has gone before.)
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
Summary
Language as a Biological Mystery
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
The following is a deep mystery of the natural world:
I
I
What is the system of rules and expressions that
underlies out ability to speak and understand a
human language?
(‘What do we know when we ‘know a language’?)
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
Summary
Answering the Question Through Science
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
Because our knowledge of the rules of our language is
‘tacit’ (unconscious), we can only answer this question
through science (hypothesis & test)
I
We hypothesize a system of rules and expressions.
I
We test the predictions of that hypothesis.
I
We check whether the expressions the rule makes
(‘generates’) are all really expressions of the
language (i.e., things people actually say).
I
We check whether there are expressions of the
language that the rule alone doesn’t ‘generate’.
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary
Summary
Linguists and Their ‘Rules’
Linguistics:
The Science of
Human Language
Supplementary
Readings
As scientists, linguists are interested in the real world.
I
I
Thus, they want to devise rules that reflect the way
people actually do speak...
They are not interested in rules describing the way
that people should speak...
I
No linguist will ever tell a native speaker of a
language that they ‘shouldn’t’ talk a certain way.
The Fundamental
Question of
Linguistics
Towards an
Answer to the
Question
How Language Is,
Not How It Should
Be
Summary